I would like to take this opportunity to reply to Mr. McGriff’s article printed in today’s [Tuesday] Iowa State Daily.

While I may sympathize with the fight Mr. McGriff has undertaken, I fear he and his fellow members of the September 29th Movement have begun not only a fight against those who they feel they have been wronged by, but any one who stands in the path of their “righteous” crusade.

A movement that started some two years ago in an attempt to change something they felt was derogatory toward their views has now turned into an open challenge to any who do not agree with their views.

The very beginning of Mr. McGriff’s article borders upon slander or libel (I am not a legal scholar) of President Jischke.

How do you, Mr. McGriff, expect anyone to take you seriously when you act upon the need to denigrate someone just because they are in disagreement.

President Jischke is in a position where to lower himself to your standards and tactics he would surely face chastisement by the academic community.

Surely you are more mature than to believe you will accomplish your goals by name calling and vocal chastisement. Would you have anyone who disagreed with you wear a scarlet “R” around their neck, as Hawthorne’s adulteress did?

This brings up a point that causes me great distress about the state of America and this university today.

In order to ennoble your fight for this cause, you have chosen to wield the far-striking sword of generalized racism.

An ugly word, an even uglier act, it seems that those who feel they are oppressed by today’s society, whether real or imagined, are quick to wield this weapon on any who might disagree with their mission.

Rightly so, anyone who has the label of racist is looked upon in a light that does not offer any place to hide, but it is becoming far too easy a label to affix.

I have attended this university far longer than I care to admit, and in that time I have seen a few controversies such as this come and go from the academic landscape of this university.

The Daily usually does a good job of inflating anything they can get their hands on into a story about the controversy of the month.

All I can say, Mr. McGriff, is that I hope you and your group find another way of achieving your goals.

By no means give up the fight. Our generation has become too complacent in this world of convenience of ease.

It needs a good shaking-up.

I only hope that you, in the future, choose a course of action that avoids the use of what you yourself are fighting: generalization and overt bigotry against that with which you disagree.

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Robert Welch

Junior

History